Drill Bits: Will Larry Hagman Be Nominated for an Emmy?

Will Larry Hagman receive some much-deserved Emmy recognition when this year’s prime-time nominees are announced on July 18?

The “Dallas” star, who died last fall, is a contender in the dramatic supporting actor race. The editors at awards website Gold Derby rank Hagman 15th on the list of likely nominees in that category, putting his odds at 100 to 1.

In other words: Hagman’s chances are pretty slim.

On the other hand: Never bet against ol’ J.R.

“You don’t know how sentimental the voters might be,” says Chris Beachum, Gold Derby’s senior editor. “Mr. Hagman played one of the most iconic characters of all time … anything can happen.”

The dramatic supporting actor race is always competitive, often with seven or eight strong contenders competing for six slots, Beachum says. This year’s likely nominees include Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) and Mandy Patinkin (“Homeland”), but surprises are possible. Last year, the experts were caught off guard when Jim Carter and Brendan Coyle scored supporting actor nominations for their roles on “Downton Abbey.”

The latest Emmy competition covers programs televised from June 2012 through May 2013, so the first two seasons of TNT’s “Dallas” revival are eligible. Hagman died in November after completing the first half of the second season, which TNT telecast in the winter and spring.

Hagman never won an Emmy. He was twice nominated for best actor during the original “Dallas’s” heyday, losing to Ed Asner (“Lou Grant”) in 1980 and Daniel J. Travanti (“Hill Street Blues”) in 1981. If Hagman is nominated this year, he’ll follow in the boot steps of TV daddy Jim Davis, who received a posthumous nomination in 1981.

Barbara Bel Geddes is the only actor to win an Emmy for “Dallas,” receiving the award for best actress in 1980.

None of the other actors from TNT’s “Dallas” revival are considered likely contenders for nominations this year, Beachum says, although the show could be nominated in technical categories such as costuming and cinematography.

If Emmy overlooks Hagman, his next best shot for recognition from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will be an induction into its Hall of Fame. Beachum lists Hagman among several possible inductees this year, along with David Letterman, Tyne Daly and the late Don Knotts.

Deep-sixed

Hold on, darlins

The good news: Entertainment Weekly included “Dallas” on its recent list of television’s 100 all-time greatest shows. The outrageous news: The series ranked only 61st.

To this, we say: Hold on, darlins! When “Dallas” debuted 35 years ago, it dared to build a dramatic series around J.R., TV’s original anti-hero. “Dallas” also pioneered serialized storylines in prime time and the season-ending cliffhanger.

Larry Hagman certainly deserves an Emmy, he should have had one for best actor back in the 1980s and Dallas deserves to be at least in the top 10 of all time best shows – I assume this is an American List? If it was a Global list, Dallas should be Number 1 as there has never been a bigger show at an international level.
Unfortunately Larry probably won’t win and Dallas won’t be ranked any higher because the TV critics/opinion formers always under-rated Dallas – anything that’s popular must be rubbish in their eyes. Still, we know how wrong they are and it’s their loss!

Paul, it is an American list, although two British imports — the original version of “The Office” and “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” — both made the cut. And both ranked higher than our beloved “Dallas,” of course. (Grrr)

Some sort of posthumous Lifetime Achievement award might be nice. But, frankly, I don’t see any particular scene Larry Hagman did in those 6 episodes of season 2 as being Emmy-worthy. That’s not a knock on him, he did a fine job with what he was given, but he wasn’t given much by those writers. He sat around smiling and giving one-liners.

I think Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy are more deserving of an Emmy for their work, specifically in the funeral episode. Gray’s speech @ the funeral was a great performance. And I’d nominate Duffy for his bedroom scene with Anne, when he finally blew up @ her for all the secrets she kept from him, and the last scene when he’s in J.R.’s old bedroom and drinking. And then for his last scene in the season finale, when they’re @ J.R.’s grave and he’s telling the truth to John Ross and Christopher, and when he starts reading J.R.’s letter, but can’t quite finish. Those scene all showed Duffy’s acting talent.

J.R., I see your points. I think Hagman’s best work on the TNT show came during the first season. There were some scenes that showed J.R. being introspective, which is the kind of thing Emmy voters love. And I absolutely agree that Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray did Emmy-caliber work during Season 2.

In response to J.R. LeMar, I agree that Larry wasn’t given much to do in Season 2 but I think that was only because Cynthia Cidre and Mike Robin did not want to overwork him because of his cancer. I definitely agree that Patrick and Linda should definitely get Emmys for their work in Season 2, Linda for her eulogy at JR’s funeral and Patrick for his breakdown in JR’s bedroom!!

I absolutely loved the old Dallas and also love the new TNT version, I think that Larry Hagman should get an award, along with Linda and Patrick. The show itself should also have been nominated. I am so glad it was renewed for 2014 and can’t wait till it returns.

[…] nominated twice for his role as J.R. during the 1980s, losing both times. This year, Hagman was a strong contender for a supporting actor nomination for his work on TNT’s “Dallas” revival, but he failed to […]